Wisden Almanack alters First Class stats of WG Grace and Jack Hobbs

In the latest development, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack has reduced the number of first-class runs, hundreds and wickets taken by the legendary WG Grace.

Considered as the godfather of modern-day batting, Grace was thought to have scored his 100th first-class ton for his county Gloucestershire against Somerset on 17th May 1895.

However, this fact has long been disputed by the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians (ACSH). The organisation has also long questioned the status of several first-class hundreds scored by the legendary Grace.

The ACSH has been trying to persuade the Wisden Almanack to alter Grace's statistics for over 40 years.

Back in 1981, the then editor of Wisden, John Woodcock, decided against changing the records of Grace.

Woodcock stated that he preferred "to leave the great man's figures as they have been for as long as anyone cares to remember".

However, the incumbent editor Lawrence Booth believes that it's time for Wisden to be more concerned about records than romance.

"The time has come to accept that the Almanack should be more concerned with the record than romance," Booth said.

As a result, around ten matches have been stripped off Grace's FC record, reducing his tally of centuries from 126 to 124, a total aggregate of runs from 54,896 to 54,211 and wickets from 2,876 to 2,809.

The oldest cricketing book has now ruled that Grace scored his 100th FC ton a fortnight later.

In addition to this, former England cricketer Jack Hobbs' tally of first-class hundreds has been increased.

Until now, it was believed that Hoobs racked up 197 tons. However, the Almanack has now decided to include the two hundreds he scored for the Maharajkumar of Viziangram's XI at the end of his career, taking his tally to 199.

Hobbs' featured in as many as 834 FC games, scoring 61760 runs at an average of 50.70 with 273 half-centuries and 199 three-figure scores. He also represented England in 61 Tests between 1908 and 1930, scoring 5410 runs @ 56.94 apiece with the help of 28 fifties and 15 hundreds.